ThunderCats Movie Reboot Gets Encouraging Update From Director After Years Of Silence


Summary

• Adam Wingard confirms his ongoing work on the
  ThunderCats
  movie reboot script, considering it a priority despite his busy schedule.
• Fans of the franchise have worried about the reboot’s chances due to its long delays, comparing the project to the
  Masters of the Universe
  movie’s troubles.
• Between Wingard’s passion for the project and ongoing relationship with Warner Bros. thanks to the Monsterverse,
  ThunderCats
  could be closer than ever to happening.

With three years gone since he was first attached to the project, Adam Wingard has an encouraging update for the live-action ThunderCats movie. Based on the animated show of the same name, the long-running franchise has focused on the titular team of cat-like humanoid aliens as they worked to protect their new home of Third Earth from another villainous race of aliens known as the Mutants. Development on a ThunderCats movie has been in the works at Warner Bros. for well over a decade, with Wingard signing on to direct and co-write in early 2021.

During a recent interview with io9 for the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire release, Wingard was asked for an update on ThunderCats‘ development. The filmmaker confirmed that the project is still very much alive, even revealing that he and frequent collaborator Simon Barrett had finished a draft of the script prior to the Monsterverse movie’s production and are now “actively working on it“. Check out what Wingard shared below:

Simon [Barrett] and I are still actively working on the script. We finished our last draft basically right when I was going into production on this movie, and we just had to put everything on hold. [But] right now we’re actively working on it again. So whether that means that’s the next thing I do or [not], I’m not sure. But it’s definitely one of the top priorities I have right now in terms of working on a script.

Will ThunderCats Suffer The Same Fate Of Another ’80s Movie Remake?

With Wingard’s attention recently pulled to helping expand the Monsterverse in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it’s understandable some may have concerns of whether his ThunderCats reboot will ever see the light of day. The live-action adaptation of the ’80s franchise isn’t the only major project he’s had lingering in development, either, as he’s been working on a Face/Off legacy sequel with plans for Nicolas Cage to return, as well as an adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s Hardcore.

Given a ThunderCats movie has been struggling to get off the ground for well over a decade, many have also drawn comparisons between it and the efforts to make a new Masters of the Universe movie. A live-action adaptation of the He-Man-focused franchise has bounced between studios over the past 17 years, with some groundswell finally made in 2019 when Noah Centineo was cast to play the iconic protagonist and Sony producing the project. After some further setbacks, including Centineo’s exit, Travis Knight reportedly entered talks to helm it this past February for Netflix.

While it may not have endured the same amount of speed bumps as Masters of the Universe, the long wait for ThunderCats has reasonably drawn concern from longtime fans of whether the movie reboot will get made. If to solely look at Wingard’s docket of projects, it would seem a tight schedule for when it could see the light of day. However, given his clear passion for the reboot in his latest update, and his ongoing relationship with Warner Bros., who are producing the movie, from the Monsterverse tenure, the movie could be closer than ever to happening.

The original ThunderCats show and its 2011 revival are available to stream on Hulu.

Source: io9